Noida , July 3: Indian corporate honchos came out of the boardrooms to play football as World Cup fever gripped cricket-crazy India on Sunday (July 2).
A daylong football tournament in Indian capital New Delhi`s suburban Noida saw the corporate sector matching their skills against local clubs.
Former India international footballer Anandi Barua was the chief guest at the tournament which some of the big names like Samsung and UTI Bank in action.
Some of the participants forgot India`s poor record in soccer to feel optimistic about making World Cup finals in the near future.
"The football fever is gaining popularity in India and hopefully the Indian football will also pick up in the next couple of years and we will be there as far as the World Cup is concerned," said Manish Gupta, credit manager, UTI Bank.
India has never qualified for World Cup finals.
With India standing a low 118 in FIFA rankings, soccer fans are left cheering for countries they have barely visited.
Brazil is the biggest favourite, followed by Argentina and France.
As the two Latin American teams lost out in the quarterfinals, many fans have nothing to cheer about.
Barua said lack of motivation was the biggest handicap for Indian football.
"We have very good players in India but nobody cares. The main thing (lacking) is motivation and aim. There is no aim. If the government gives jobs to the boys, if we give incentives in schools, it can go up," he said.
Pragmatic football lovers feel the game still has a long way to go in this cricket-crazy nation and genuine efforts are required if India ever needs to make the cut in the big league.
Bureau Report
